It Shouldn’t Be Hard to Write a Recommendation Letter for a Friend

The time has come: a friend asked you to write a recommendation letter for them. This means you’re an authoritative professional whose recommendations matter… but, how do you complete one for a friend?

Why Is It Important to Write a Recommendation Letter for a Friend?

Before you can write a great letter of recommendation for a friend, you must understand what it is. It’s a reference that assesses the characteristics of a person and recommends them for a particular role. These letters are usually requested during the job application process. However, you may also be asked to write a recommendation letter for student. College applicants also submit references to present them as valuable candidates.

Here at Proper Resumes, we always recommend proper preparation before you start writing any kind of document.

When you understand its format and purpose, you’ll understand how to write a recommendation letter for a friend.

Why is the recommendation letter important, anyway? It’s one of the most important factors that employers and colleges consider when making hiring or admissions decisions. If you write a great letter, you’ll help your friend get noticed among all that competition.

Tips: How to Write a Letter of Recommendation for a Friend

What makes the personal letter of recommendation for a friend so tricky?

You’re not recommending this person from a professional point of view. You’re just a friend. It’s difficult to be objective.

We’ll tell you how to write a recommendation letter for friend in few stages.

Preparation

First, you’ll need to get all information you need for the recommendation letter.

Ask your friend to get you a copy of their resume, so you can reflect on their experience.

Get all information for the job they are aiming for or the college they are applying to.

Go through the articles at ProperResumes to see how a recommendation letter is supposed to look like.

Prepare an outline. Remember: you should present yourself, explain the connection with the person, explain why they would fit into this role, and emphasize their qualities. Plan what you’re going to write in each section.

Writing

When you’re ready to start writing, you should keep few things in mind:

Explain how you know this person. How long have you known them? You don’t have to include details about your first encounter. Simply state that you’ve known this person for many years. This ads reliability to your recommendation.

Focus on specifics. Don’t just write “Robert is a kind person.” Explain how exactly he is kind. Is he a volunteer in a non-governmental organization? Does he care for the environment? Include specific examples that demonstrate the person’s qualities.

Maintain a positive tone. Focus on the strengths of your friend’s character. Remember: you want to help them get the job or get admitted to college.

Don’t forget to include your phone number. The letter of recommendation should always provide these details, so the potential employer can call you if they have further questions. In addition to your phone number, you should also provide an email address.

Time to Start Writing a Letter of Recommendation for a Friend

Writing a recommendation letter for a friend is not enough. You have to edit it, too! You don’t want your friend to send a recommendation full of grammar and spelling mistakes. Here are few aspects to focus on:

The readability. Is the letter easy to read? You don’t want it to be boring or overly time-consuming.

Are the sentences clear and simple? Improve them!

Check the flow. You don’t want to be bouncing from one topic to another.

Are there excessive words, phrases or clichés? Get rid of them!

If there’s passive voice where it’s not necessary, get rid of it.

Finally, check the grammar and spelling and your letter will be good to go.

Remember: this will be a personal reference, which will emphasize your friend’s strengths. It’s basically a character reference. Instead of focusing on the person’s working or studying skills, you’re taking their personality as the guiding point.

If you’re not sure you can write it, check the tips at ProperResumes.com before you say yes. You’re not obligated to write it. However, it’s important to give your friend a definite answer. Agree only if you can write your honest positive recommendation. If you’re not comfortable with that, it’s okay to say no… in a kind way.

If you don’t want to say no, but you have no idea how to write a recommendation letter for a friend, you have another solution: hire a service to do it for you.